Mamelodi Sundowns cautioned! Orlando Pirates-linked Khuliso Mudau key to Brayan Leon's success at Tshwane giants as South Americans are 'often a miss'

To bolster their playing unit for the next crucial round of the Premier Soccer League, Mamelodi Sundowns have signed two players so far.

Monnapule Saleng and Brayan Leon are the latest signings, while Khulumani Ndamane has officially joined from TS Galaxy. Leon's signing followed a usual precedent by Sundowns; the Pretoria giants have always scoured the South American markets for talent. 

Some of the South American players who have won the yellow jersey include Gastón Sirino, Ricardo Nascimento, José Ali Meza, Emiliano Tade, and Leonardo Castro. Others are Jorge Acuna, Bryan Aldave, Fabio Costa, Eduardo Ferreira, and Jose Torrealba.

And although some foreign players from that part of the world have come and made vital contributions, some remain gambles that never paid off.

With his signing, Leon has put himself in the limelight, with many waiting to see if he will do well or if he will flop like others who came before him.

Nedbank Cup-winning coach Dylan Kerr, has assessed the Leon signing and explained how he can be turned into a vital asset. According to the former Black Leopards coach, Khuliso Mudau, who is linked with a move to Orlando Pirates, holds the key to Leon's success at Sundowns.

“I’m a bit sceptical when they bring South Americans over. Sometimes they are a hit, sometimes they are a miss, more often a miss,” Kerr told FARPost.

“South Americans coming into this country find a different type of football. Yes, it’s technically better in Brazil, but at the same time, in South Africa, PSL players are a bit more aggressive; they are hard in mentality.

“Only time will tell if he can score the goals. If [Khuliso] Mudau can get into a good habit of crossing the balls instead of running and passing the ball, instead of shooting when he is in good areas, then he could set him maybe one or two goals a game," he added.

“Other players at Sundowns should also provide him with ammunition for him to score.”

The former Moroka Swallows coach also discussed the Saleng signing and stated he is confident his ex-player will have a fantastic time with the Brazilians.

“The surprising one [Sundowns signing] was Saleng, and I’ll tell you what, he will do absolutely fantastic at Sundowns. He is just the right type of player that Sundowns need because he has got energy,” the former Simba SC head coach added. 

“I can’t believe Pirates let him go to Orbit; that was very strange. What you get from Saleng and what I instilled in him as a player at Swallows is that when he has got the ball, he is going to be a nuisance, a pest.

“But when he hasn’t got the ball, he will be in a position where he can get onto the ball. So he was a great signing as far as I’m concerned.”

After his Africa Cup of Nations participation, Sundowns left back Aubrey Modiba returned and has linked up with his club teammates. Among his teammates is the new signing, and the Bafana defender hopes the newcomers will be vital for the Tshwane giants.   

“Very good signings for us; hopefully they can help us in the team. They bring quality and depth into the team so that we can be able to do well in the Nedbank Cup and defend our league – the Champions League – and so many competitions and so very good signings for us,” Modiba said in Sandton, Johannesburg, during the last 32 draw of the Nedbank Cup.

“It's very important [for us to win this cup] because this is a tournament that has been eluding us for a long time. We lost in the final [and] it's never easy to lose in the final.

"So, for us, it's to make sure that we do better than last season. We fell short in the semi-finals, and hopefully right now we can be in the final and hopefully win it."

Masandawanaq will resume their league campaign against Orbit College on January 19.